15 June 2009

Bonsai!

I'm excited about this painting. It was made on request for artist Cara Lynn Kleid who currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA. I was recently "introduced" to her by the always awesome, Karen Lillis (see Existential German Kitten...), via email a couple of weeks ago.

I've been taking painting requests for about 5 months now and this is my 25th painting for this blog. Often people tell me they want a painting but can't come up with anything. I'm always a little taken aback by this.

"Just pick something, where's the problem?"

Cara Lynn Kleid suggested we do a trade. She gives me a request and I give her one. I was immediately thrilled. I absolutely love her work. ...but then I realized that I would have to come up with something for her to make. I suddenly got it... and I had to sleep on it.

Cara's request for me was a bonsai tree. She told me her father recently had a life change and now spends much of his time raising bonsai trees, doing yoga and riding around on his motorcycle.

I love the weird dwarfish, tangley proportions and bends of bonsais. They look like full size trees but off. Wrong...

This has turned out to be one of my favorite paintings that I've made for this blog. And it fell out of my hands very easily. All of the black here is Sumi and India ink. It's painted right on the gesso which is layered with blue paint. I sanded down to the blue and layered again. The green and brown is watered down acrylics.

The painting came so easily and instinctively, I don't know what else to say.

When I receive the piece that Cara is making for me, I will post it and talk about my request then...

3 comments:

as Cara's pappy, I am so pleased with the concept, and execution of the piece. It looks very special. Now, if only I could match your work with one of my trees.....you have captured the essence and love of bonsai.thank youjoe

Commissions...

All of the paintings here are made by commission in the tiny format of 3.5"x5.5", acrylic on board.Every painting is signed on the back.

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Why is John Megas Making All of These Tiny Paintings?

More than just being a funny blog of tiny paintings, Panda Licking on a Light Bulb is the public face of a project by painter, printmaker and art critic John Megas as a way of engaging audiences in the process of making art and challenging himself as a painter. (It is also a funny blog of tiny paintings).

John will paint any subject matter, in any style, with any requested color scheme. Be specific or vague. All Paintings are made postcard sized, 3.5"x5.5". The flexibility here goes beyond the realm of taking a regular commission. John's goal is to let the purchaser have as much creative control as possible. (Or as little as they want).

Along the way, John blogs about his journey through each painting, posting about the process and sometimes with preliminary drawings, often with ridiculous stories.

Images of the finished pieces are posted and the actual paintings are mailed to their purchasers/collaborators.